Each teacher's office comes with a phone. Sometimes they are shared, often it's one phone per teacher.
There are now three kinds of phones at use at Emma Willard.
Digital phones, which are usually gray and have a lot of programmable buttons on them. Some have a display at the top.
Analog phones, which are usually some kind of sickly off-white and don't have too many extra buttons. We only install these in faculty offices that are far away (from a network sense). Digital phones can't be as far away from the central phone switch (unless there's a signal amplifier added to the mix; that's too complicated for now.
IP phones, which are usually gray or black and more similar in appearance to digital phones than to analog phones. IP phones will grow more numerous over time. If your phone requires electricity, then it is an IP phone.
Each type of phone plugs into a different line. Analog phone lines are just normal phone lines, so, if you were so driven, you could attach a modem or a fax machine to that line. Digital phone lines can't be used for anything other than your digital phone. They make up for this limitation by offering more features, like programmable keys. IP phones don't plug into phone lines at all. They plug into data lines. They are really little computers masquerading as phones. They have to boot up. They're as smart as digital phones, but completely dependent on the network. If the network is overloaded while you're talking on an IP phone, the other person may start sounding like he or she is being violently shaken by
Miss Trunchbull.
Voicemail
You get a voicemail box, too. When somebody calls you, after 4 to 6 rings, they will be directed by you (once you set it up) to leave a message.
You can retrieve that message from your phone or from any other phone on campus or off. Click here to find out how.
Phone and Phone Line
Each teacher's office comes with a phone. Sometimes they are shared, often it's one phone per teacher.
There are now three kinds of phones at use at Emma Willard.
Each type of phone plugs into a different line. Analog phone lines are just normal phone lines, so, if you were so driven, you could attach a modem or a fax machine to that line. Digital phone lines can't be used for anything other than your digital phone. They make up for this limitation by offering more features, like programmable keys. IP phones don't plug into phone lines at all. They plug into data lines. They are really little computers masquerading as phones. They have to boot up. They're as smart as digital phones, but completely dependent on the network. If the network is overloaded while you're talking on an IP phone, the other person may start sounding like he or she is being violently shaken by
Miss Trunchbull.
Voicemail
You get a voicemail box, too. When somebody calls you, after 4 to 6 rings, they will be directed by you (once you set it up) to leave a message.
You can retrieve that message from your phone or from any other phone on campus or off. Click here to find out how.